On April 4, 1969, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was abruptly canceled by CBS. The Sunday evening variety series aired for three seasons starting in February 1967, but not all of the episodes aired.
At the time, The New York Times reported that the network canceled the series amid claims that host Tom and Dick Smothers breached their contract by failing to submit episodes in time for advance screening by the network and its affiliates.
Per the outlet, CBS feared the comedian brothers had planned to feature an “irreverent and offensive” religious monologue by guest David Steinberg in an episode that would have aired on Easter. The cancellation came amid “months of argument over the program’s content,” The Times noted.
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour often took a liberal view on religion and politics and was known for bits that opposed the Vietnam War. The brothers regularly butted heads with network censors. To the Times, Smothers claimed CBS’ ongoing protests were just a pretext “to get us off the air.”
The cancelation of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came two weeks after the show had been optioned for a fourth season.
In 1970, ABC picked up the brothers for The Smothers Brothers Summer Show for nine episodes. The brothers would go on to other incarnations of their series in the late 1970s and ’80s.
The Smothers Brothers sued CBS
In 1969, the Smothers brothers didn’t take their firing lying down. Speaking with The Associated Press 50 years later, Tom Smothers recalled that he and his brother filed a breach of contract lawsuit that CBS lost.
“We had such a minor payment dollar-wise, but that wasn’t the point. “We had to do it,” he said.
Dick Smothers added, “Don’t tell a comedian not to say a certain word. For sure, they’ll do it. The funny thing is, I look back at those things. They’re so benign, but at the time they were volatile.”
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The Who blew up ‘The Smothers Brothers’ stage
One of the wildest moments on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour took place in September 1967 in an episode that featured guests Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney. Musical guests The Who delivered an explosive performance of their hit song “My Generation.” Literally.
Tom Smothers introduced the song by saying, “I can really identify with that [song] because I really identify with these guys, I dig ‘em.” He also told viewers they’d be “surprised by what would happen” with the band’s performance.
According to Classic Rock, drummer Keith Moon reportedly filled his drum cannon with 10 times the legal amount of gunpowder allowed on a television soundstage after bribing a stagehand. At the song’s end, The Who bandmates began to violently destroy their instruments, with Moon kicking his drum kit off the riser, where it loudly exploded. Several of the band members were reportedly injured.
Tom Smothers appeared visibly shaken by the incident but attempted to crack a joke about borrowing a bass guitar.
“Everyone was so shocked,” Smothers later said. “I was busy just seeing where the bodies were, seeing if anyone was injured.”
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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